


30 Days of Kirk & McCoy

by CaptainDunsel



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: 30 day challenge, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, a little bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-21 13:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1551797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainDunsel/pseuds/CaptainDunsel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short stories involving Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beauty, Dream, Memory, Fragile, Celebration

**Author's Note:**

> I set up a challenge for myself. The concept is as follows: 30 days, one word for each day - a prompt for a 200-word story. Only one story per day - no writing beforehand! The stories are not connected nor in any chronological order. These stories will be published in sets of five.
> 
> And, um... Enjoy!

**Day 1 - Beauty**

McCoy wouldn’t have called Jim a beauty – the man was utterly gorgeous, but ’beauty’ wasn’t the right word to describe it. So Jim calling him a beauty was just downright ridiculous.

“Bones,” Jim said softly, “There’s beauty in the way your hands know exactly what to do to save a life. And there’s beauty in the way you think everyone deserves to be saved – you have a heart of gold. I see your beauty when I get to wake up next to you in the morning and run my fingers through your messy hair, when you let me hold your hand, when I look into your eyes. Your heart, your soul, your mind – Bones, you truly are a thing of beauty”.

“You’re cheesy,” McCoy retorted, crossing his arms loosely on his chest as he sat down to his chair.  
“You. are. grumpy,” Jim smiled, bending down to place a kiss on the doctor’s lips. McCoy bit his lip as if reluctant to let go – but put on a pout as soon as the kiss was broken, like it would have always been there. Jim poked his nose gently, and McCoy offered him a bit of a glare in return.

 “You’re immature,” he said with an eyebrow raised in amusement.  
“And you are a beauty, Bones,” Jim winked softly.

**-:-**  

**Day 2 – Dream**

McCoy opened his eyes, though the clock on the nightstand showed it to be too early for that. He lay still, just breathing.

“I just had the strangest dream”.  
McCoy turned his head to see Jim lying on his back next to him, his hands tightly beside him, staring at the ceiling.  
“Yeah?”  
Jim turned to look at him – even in the dim lighting of the room McCoy could see his blue eyes looking into his own.  
“You… wanna talk about it?” the doctor asked, his voice quiet and hoarse. Jim rolled onto his side and slipped his hand into McCoy’s, intertwining their fingers.  
“No,” he said slowly.

_The blue eyes looked tired._

“How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough to want to get closer?” Jim offered sheepishly.  
McCoy separated their fingers and extended his arm towards Jim, which allowed the younger man to drag himself closer and nestle against McCoy’s side. Jim flung his arm across McCoy’s chest as the doctor’s wrapped around his shoulders. Jim inhaled McCoy’s scent and closed his eyes – the older man smiled at him as his breathing slowly became heavy and even.

With Jim’s warm body against his own, McCoy planted a kiss among Jim’s messy hair before he allowed sleep to close his eyes.

**-:-**

**Day 3 – Memory**

“They want us to write down our best memory from the Academy,” Jim read out.  
“Why?” McCoy asked, peering over Jim’s shoulder at the note he held.  
“Advertising?” Jim mused.  
“Probably,” McCoy agreed, “What are you going to write? 

Jim thought back.  
 _He thought of all the sleepless nights they had spent studying for e_ _xams – which hadn’t really seemed fun at the time, but damn if stressing over common worries hadn’t made him and Bones closer.  
_ _He thought about all the times they had sat on Bones’ bed and Bones had prepped him for his xenolinguistics exams, and he had helped Bones in turn.  
_ _He thought about the mornings Bones had practically yanked him up to his feet and dragged him to class which he would rather have skipped due to his hangover –_ thank you very much, Bones.  
 _But really, the man had had the patience to come to all his three times taking the Kobayashi Maru – test. He_ had _groaned about it every time, but he had come nonetheless – and taken Jim for beers afterwards.  
_ _S_ _o many memories, and all the best ones included Bones._  

Jim glanced at McCoy. “I don’t know,” he shrugged, but McCoy didn’t seem to believe him – not with the smile Jim wore on his face.

**-:-**

**Day 4 – Fragile**

You could forget how fragile Jim Kirk was.  
 _The image of the brash, bold young captain sitting on his bed, drowning his thoughts with a bottle of hard alcohol in the dim of his quarters was somehow so far away from what was usually seen on the bridge. But Jim Kirk had been born after a heartbreak, and heartbreaks had followed him in life ever since – and sometimes Jim believed heartbreak would be the only one that stayed. So when one McCoy climbed on the bed and sat next to him Jim couldn’t really understand why he wouldn’t go away._

And you could forget how fragile Leonard McCoy was.  
 _He was a doctor and was used to working despite hurt and heartbreak, but he was also a man who had once lost everything and been thrown into an_ _unknown, frightening world to survive on his own. But then he had met that beacon, a guiding light called Jim Kirk, who had helped him navigate the vast, dark space and even after threatening to throw up on him McCoy couldn’t have gotten rid of the kid and now he really didn’t think he wanted to – so he climbed up on the bed and sat with Jim through the night._  

The best thing was, they could be fragile together.

**-:-**

**Day 5 – Celebration**

“C’mon, Bones, it’s going to be fun!” Jim smiled.  
"Why does fun always involve alcohol with you?” McCoy asked in return.  
“It doesn’t _always_ ,” Jim replied, pouting – but then wiggled his eyebrows as a grin appeared on his face. McCoy sighed, rolling his eyes, and Jim laughed.  
“C’mon, it’ll be fun, I promise”.

Jim grabbed McCoy’s elbow and walked him downstairs, to the middle of blaring music and lights blinking in all colours.  
“ _Wait here, I’ll go get us drinks_ ,” Jim said, making grand gestures to get his message through over the music.  
“ _Jim_ …” McCoy began, but the other man was already gone. The doctor shook his head with a sigh – why did he always agree to these?

But before he could think about it more, Jim was already back, carrying two shot glasses in his hands cautiously through the crowd. Immediately upon reaching McCoy Jim shoved one of the glasses to his hand, and then with his own newly freed one he showed McCoy the countdown: _one… two… three._  
As Jim’s third finger rose up both men downed their shots with one gulp.  
“What was that?” McCoy asked hoarsely as the alcohol burned on its way down.  
“Something to get you in the mood,” Jim winked mysteriously.  
“Now let’s dance”.


	2. Promise, Innocence, Moonlight, Whisper, Echo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! And a huge thank you for the comments and the kudos! This five-day period featured some surprisingly difficult words - but without further ado...
> 
> Enjoy!

**Day 6 – Promise**

They lay sprawled on the floor of the dorm room, quietly staring at the ceiling.  
Jim tried to sink himself into the soft carpet – his limbs felt heavy, his eyelids were half closed and he was somewhere in the shadows of consciousness. He listened to the sound of the other man’s breathing, tried to match the rhythm of his own with it.  
Then Jim reached out his hand and after a bit of searching found McCoy’s and locked their fingers together.  
McCoy turned his head to look at Jim, but the younger man didn’t see it.

“I love lazy mornings,” he said slowly, sighing.  
“I know what you mean,” McCoy replied with a bit of a laugh.  
“No classes, no assignments, no rushing, no teachers…”  
Jim snorted a laugh, his eyes closing. “Yeah, that too”.  
McCoy raised his eyebrow.  
“You had something else in mind?”  
Jim chuckled softly, but didn’t say anything – he merely rubbed circles on the doctor’s knuckles with his thumb. McCoy looked at him thoughtfully for a long time, but didn’t press the matter further. Then he turned his head back towards the ceiling.

“Bones,” Jim said.  
“Hm?” the older man hummed.  
“Promise me this will never change,” Jim muttered, half asleep.  
McCoy seemed to consider for a moment before gently squeezing Jim’s hand.  
“I promise”.

**-:-**

**Day 7 - Innocence**

“You seem to handle your alcohol better nowadays,” McCoy retorted with a lopsided grin.  
“Well,” Kirk replied before taking a long gulp to finish his drink.  
“Truth be told…” he began, staring at the glass he held in his hands on the table, “I always seemed at least two beers drunker than I actually was”.  
McCoy raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”  
“Yeah,” Jim laughed. “I…”  
“Spit it out,” McCoy said impatiently.  
“Buy me another drink first?” Jim smirked.

McCoy sighed.  
“You’re abusing my curiosity, kid,” he groaned, but ordered them both drinks nonetheless.  
Jim raised his new pint as if to make a toast before bringing it to his lips. “So, um… All those times you walked me to my room and helped me to bed and I touched your face and stuff? Yeah… I wasn’t as oblivious as I let you believe,” Kirk then confessed, unsure what kind of reaction he’d get.  
McCoy leant back in his chair.  
“So it wasn’t innocent?” he asked.  
“Not completely?” Jim said cautiously, “I’m sorry, I really am”.  
But McCoy didn’t seem mad.  
“Here I thought you were just the ‘touchy-feely’ kind of drunk,” he said instead.  
“Only with you?” Jim offered, trying to hide his relieved grin behind his glass.

**-:-**

**Day 8 – Moonlight**

Jim sat between McCoy’s legs on the sand and dug his bare feet into it – it was still warm beneath the surface, though the sun had set behind the horizon a long time ago. The wind was slowly rising and it was getting rather chilly, but Jim didn’t want to go, not yet – the stars and the full moon were too beautiful.  
The moonlight created a silver bridge on the water, which wavered in the wind; waves crashed on to the shore. Maps of stars, all the constellations above them in the sky were drawn onto the surface of the water as reflections – and Jim felt odd happiness. The stars were always there with him to remind him of his home, travelling the galaxies; and the moon to remind him of Earth, of his childhood home.

McCoy wrapped his arms around Jim’s waist, and Jim leant back against his chest with a content sigh, and reached his neck to give him a kiss – it was a slow, affectionate kiss that neither wanted to end. Jim’s eyes fluttered shut.  
“You look gorgeous in the moonlight,” McCoy smiled softly when they finally broke the kiss, and Jim opened his eyes to look at the hazel ones in front of him.  
“I thought I was supposed to be the cheesy one,” Jim teased, and planted another kiss on the doctor’s lips.

**-:-**

**Day 9 – Whisper**

McCoy loved whispering sweet nothings into Jim’s ear in the dark hours of the night. If anyone were to ask him about it, he’d deny it of course, but no-one ever did – they knew he cared, but didn’t really believe that the good doctor had such a soft heart behind the grumpy exterior he chose to show to the world.  
The last person McCoy would have ever wanted to know was Jim. That’s why he always waited until the younger man was asleep in his arms before burying his face in Jim’s golden hair and whispering softly against his skin deep into the night.

And because McCoy didn’t want anyone to know, Jim always had the decency to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep so the older man wouldn’t know Jim usually heard every word. He would eventually be lulled to sleep by McCoy’s hands caressing his hair, and the warmness of his body surrounding his own, but Jim cherished every whisper, every hot breath against his neck, his cheek, among his hair. The words so beautiful, gentle, fragile – too soft to be spoken in daylight, perfect for the darkness of the night. Jim knew he wasn’t supposed to hear them, but he really loved those words – though he could never tell McCoy.

**-:-**

**Day 10 – Echo**

A tear rolled down his cheek, but he was sure he wasn’t crying – just staring up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. He swallowed thickly and sniffled, panic creeping up his chest and becoming a lump in his throat.  
It was another one of those nights he woke up from restless sleep, sweaty and more exhausted than before going to bed – and the nightmare didn’t seem to end though he had opened his eyes.  
He grabbed fistfuls of the sheet and squeezed really hard – he could feel his blunt fingernails against his palms even through the sheet.  
 _It was so quiet.  
_ Another tear rolled down his cheek, he blinked it away – but more rose to his eyes and stuck to his lashes, and soon there was a steady stream that fell into a puddle, dampening the pillow beneath his head.

He wanted to turn but didn’t want to see there was no-one to turn to. All alone he was in the middle of the night, left to survive his demons by himself.  
He remembered the times when the nightmares would have been shooed away by the one beside him, but now there was only cold on the other side of the bed. Only an echo of all the memories, of the encouraging words, now cold and distant, slowly fading away.


	3. Jealousy, Regrets, Trust, Beach, Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for kudos and comments! Keep 'em coming - I love hearing your opinions!  
> Fluff was requested, and I hope I didn't fail to deliver - here you have them, the new batch of short stories!
> 
> Enjoy!

**Day 11 – Jealousy**

McCoy leant his head against his palm and watched as Jim ended his discussion with the girl. The younger man turned around to face the doctor with a smile still on his face.  
“What?” he asked.  
“Why do girls hit on you every time we go to a bar?” McCoy questioned, shaking his head slightly.  
Jim laughed. “Really?”  
“I mean I’m sitting right next to you, is that not a clue that you already have someone?” McCoy continued.  
“Are you jealous?” Jim grinned teasingly.  
“Don’t flatter yourself, kid,” McCoy snorted.

“I’m just wondering why they don’t seem to think we’re together. Do they believe you are out of my league? That someone like you wouldn’t be interested in an old country doctor like me…”  
McCoy’s voice trailed off at the end – a soft smile curved the corners of Jim lips. He stepped down from the barstool and took a step towards the doctor – and, cupping his face, gave him a long kiss, which took McCoy completely by surprise. When Jim finally broke that kiss, he couldn’t do anything but stare – and then Jim spoke.  
“I’m not saying you are jealous, or worried,” he teased with a small grin, but then his face softened, “but you don’t need to be – I’m always going home with you”.

**-:-**

**Day 12 – Regrets**

“Do you ever regret joining Starfleet?”  
“No,” McCoy replied nonchalantly, but Jim just didn’t seem satisfied.  
“Are you sure?”  
McCoy lowered his fork back to his plate.  
“Where’s this coming from?” he asked in return.  
“I’m just… curious,” Jim replied, turning his gaze down, suddenly very interested in his half empty plate.  
“And quite persistent for someone who’s ‘just curious’,” McCoy noted.  
“Okay, I won’t ask again, happy?” Jim replied, and promptly stuffed a full fork of food into his mouth.  
“No, because now you’ve made me curious,” McCoy said, grabbing Jim’s hand and lowering it back to the table before he could fill his mouth with food again.  
“Is there something wrong that you aren’t telling me? Because I have a feeling this isn’t really about me regretting Starfleet, is it?”

Jim stared at him in the eyes for a moment before looking away.  
“Do you… I mean… You said you wouldn’t have gone up to space if…” he stuttered before sighing deeply.  
“Yes, do you regret joining Starfleet but more importantly, do you regret taking me aboard the _Enterprise_? I mean that kinda led me to become captain and… Do you regret that? Regret… me?”  
McCoy raised an eyebrow.  
“Regret? You? Don’t be ridiculous,” he smirked.

**-:-**

**Day 13 – Trust**

Kirk heard the doors of the turbolift hiss and his eyes brightened – finally something could happen.  
Bored after an uneventful shift spent not doing much of anything on the bridge he was hoping for some action – what, or _whom_ , he got was McCoy.  
“Bones?” Jim asked as he spun around on his chair, still remaining hopeful, “What are you doing in here?”  
“Just thought I’d check up on you, make sure your crew doesn’t allow you to do anything stupid,” McCoy shrugged casually, and Jim felt a bit disappointed.  
“Nothing going on in Sick Bay?” he inquired, although he could guess the answer.  
“Nothing requiring my immediate attention,” McCoy replied as he stepped next to the captain’s chair and crossed his arms on his chest – Jim also turned to look at the main viewer.

“So… you decided to check up on me?” he cooed teasingly. “Bones, I’m flattered”.  
“Well you would need constant supervision,” McCoy retorted.  
“Me? As if,” Kirk snorted.  
“Your whole crew thinks so,” McCoy replied teasingly.  
“They do not,” Jim argued.  
“Yeah they do, no-one just dares to say it”.  
“And you do?”  
“I’m the only one who can,” McCoy smirked.  
“Don’t you trust me?” Jim teased.  
“In this matter? No,” McCoy said with a lopsided grin.

**-:-**

**Day 14 – Beach**

The sun shone brightly, the waves were gently crashing to the shore – Jim stood with his hands on his hips, taking in the smell of the seawater. He lifted his head up to face the sun and sighed contently.

“I can’t believe I let you drag me in here,” McCoy retorted behind his sunglasses, his hands crossed on his bare chest as he lay on the deck chair under the sunshade.  
Jim turned around, hot sand burning his feet.  
"At least you admit I had to drag you,” he smirked.  
“This is not how I imagined I’d spend my shore leave,” McCoy snorted.  
“Well, it is a _shore_ leave,” Jim pointed out.  
McCoy lowered his sunglasses so Jim could see him rolling his eyes.  
“Not even Spock takes it that literally,” the doctor said as he pushed the glasses back up.  
Jim walked towards him and sat down to the deck chair, now straddling the doctor’s legs.  
McCoy lifted his sunglasses away from his eyes.  
“You’re blocking my sun,” he said dryly.  
“No, the sunshade is,” Jim corrected with a sneer, “and isn’t that why you have it?”  
“You’re blocking my view,” McCoy tried again with the same dry tone.  
“I _am_ your view,” Jim smirked and gave McCoy a kiss on his forehead.  
“Now cheer up”.

**-:-**

**Day 15 – Midnight**

Suddenly Jim was startled awake by a pillow hitting his face. Confused, he turned around to see a dark figure lying next to him.  
“You snore, stop it,” said the figure with McCoy’s familiar voice.  
“I do not snore,” Jim retorted, rubbing his eyes, offended by the remark.  
“Yes you do, so stop it, good night,” McCoy argued and turned around, ready to go back to sleep.  
Jim lay awake, staring at his back.  
 _He did not snore, and if Bones thought he could just hit him with a pillow and get away with it, he was very much mistaken.  
_ Jim decided to wait.

McCoy had just fallen back to sleep when he was smacked on the side of his head with a pillow, _hard.  
_ “Ow,” he groaned, turning around, “What the hell?”  
“ _You snore_ ,” Jim said, mockingly imitating the doctor’s earlier words.  
“Very mature, Jim,” McCoy retorted. “Now go back to sleep”.  
Silence fell, and McCoy thought Jim was satisfied with his revenge - he was just finding a comfortable position when he was hit with a pillow, again – this time, right in the face.  
“Dammit, Jim,” he groaned, and _bam_ – another hit.  
“I suggest you grab a pillow now,” Jim said with a smirk.  
“Otherwise this will be too easy for me”.


	4. Confessions, Crush, Chocolate, Alone, Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not publishing this earlier - however, here it is now! Oh, and thank you for comments and kudos, much appreciated!
> 
> Enjoy!

**Day 16 – Confessions**

“Truth or dare?”  
“Why are we playing this again?”  
“Because it’s fun. Truth or dare?”

McCoy sighed deeply.  
“Dare”.  
“Go out and yell ‘Jim Kirk is the best, most awesome captain ever’,” Jim grinned mischievously.  
“Yeah… How about I don’t”.  
“You can’t choose ‘dare’ and not do it,” Jim groaned.  
“Fine, I won’t choose,” McCoy smirked.  
“No, you’ll choose ‘truth’,” Jim announced.  
“Why did you even ask if I don’t get to choose?” McCoy asked.  
“Because you make stupid choices. Now, truth…” Jim answered, getting a thoughtful look on his face – then it brightened.

“When did you know you loved me?”

There was a silence before McCoy’s answer.  
“I’m not doing this,” he said, getting up from the floor to leave.  
“Bones,” Jim called out but the doctor didn’t react.  
 _“Bones!”_

McCoy stopped at the doorway.  
“I’m not gonna answer that, Jim,” he said.  
“Why not?” Jim asked – he, too, had stood up from the floor.  
“I just won’t”.  
Jim rushed to him and took his hand. “C’mon,” he said softly, “What do you have to fear?”  
“That you’ll think I’m silly?” McCoy offered, looking down at his feet.  
“I won’t,” Jim said. “Tell me. Please?”  
McCoy sighed.  
“Since the moment I saw you,” he said, planting a kiss on Jim’s forehead.

**-:-**

**Day 17 – Crush**

It started out as a crush

_Jim gave him a smile across the classroom as he noticed McCoy glance at him. McCoy raised his eyebrow slightly and slowly turned his head away._  
Well, now he definitely doesn’t think you were staring _, moron._  
 _Jim pressed his head between his arms on the desk – they were friends. Friends didn’t stare at each other in class – at least not like Jim did. And he didn’t do it just in class._  
 _Jim lifted his head up again. If he’d keep this up, Bones would surely find him creepy and would want to change rooms with someone – he probably already did. Jim didn’t do anything inappropriate – it wasn’t like he didn’t give Bones any privacy, or stare at him when he was changing clothes or anything._  
 _So was it wrong if he stared at the man’s lips a little bit more than most? Or his eyes, or those legendary hands, or…?_  
 _Yes, yes it was._  
 _Jim squeezed his eyes shut – he didn’t want to lose Bones, so he’d have to learn to be a good friend again, despite his feelings for… Which he didn’t have, by the way._

_“Jim”._   
_Jim glanced up – he had sunken so deep into his thoughts he hadn’t noticed McCoy walk to his desk._   
_"The class was dismissed – aren’t you coming?”_

And look where we are now.

**-:-**

**Day 18 – Chocolate**

“Well, this is rather excessive,” Jim retorted, looking at the abundance of flowers, gifts and especially chocolate – boxes and boxes of chocolate – in front of him on the table.  
“I know,” McCoy agreed as he appeared from the kitchenette, biting into his apple. “Just ridiculous”.  
They both stared at the pile on the table in silence.

“Where do we even put all these?” Jim then asked, turning to look at McCoy – the doctor shrugged.  
“I really don’t know, Jim”.  
Jim looked at the pile, again, hands on his hips. Then the flowers caught his eye.  
“Do we own vases?” he inquired, still dumbfounded by what was in front of him.  
“Maybe?” McCoy replied. “But definitely not for all of those”.

“We’re going to be eating those chocolates well into the next Valentine’s Day,” Jim pondered.  
“Probably,” McCoy hummed, still munching on his apple, half-eaten by now.  
“Why are you eating that?” Jim asked with a little smile.  
“The unhealthiness just reeks from that pile – I just had to get something better to eat”.  
“I thought apples were supposed to keep doctors away?” Jim grinned.  
McCoy rolled his eyes. “Funny, Jim,” he retorted.

Jim stared at the pile again. “It is really a bit excessive – okay, just _really_ excessive, but… Thank you, Bones”.  
“You’re welcome, Jim,” McCoy winked softly.

**-:-**

**Day 19 – Alone**

“All I’ve got left is my bones.”  
 _But you didn’t want to be alone – that’s why you talked to me, right? It’s okay, I didn’t have much either._

“I don’t know, but I like him.”  
 _(Oh Bones, if only you’d known…)_  
 _Still you stood by my side, against him, against them, against all odds._  
“Jim, the board will rule in your favor.”

**\--**

“I couldn’t just leave you there looking all pathetic.”  
 _'Alone’. You forgot the word ‘alone’, Bones. You couldn’t leave me there because I would have been alone.  
Or maybe _ you _would have been alone._  
 _Or maybe the both of us._

**\--**

“So how can these legendary hands help you, Doctor Marcus?”  
 _Those were the words you said when you helped her for me, because you never let me do stupid things alone._

“…five, four, three…”  
 _And when you counted down to your death, I wonder if you felt as lonely and helpless as I did.  
I don’t remember having called you ‘McCoy’ before – but I needed a moment to gather myself before uttering out your name._

“Don’t be so melodramatic, you were barely dead.”  
 _“…And I was very alone,” right Bones? It’s okay, I was lonely too. Any place is lonely without you by my side._

**-:-**

**Day 20 – Rain**

Jim looked up as the mug was set in front of him on the side table.  
“Thank you,” he smiled – McCoy merely nodded as a reply, returning the smile.

Jim wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and watched as the steam rising from the mug misted over the window behind it. McCoy sat next to him on the chair’s armrest, sipping tea from his own mug.  
Raindrops drummed a quiet, steady rhythm on the roof, and chased each other down the glass window. Oh what a soothing melody they had – Jim felt his eyelids getting heavy.  
McCoy’s arm wrapped around Jim’s shoulders, and Jim leant against McCoy, resting his head on the doctor's thigh.  
"Do you want to sit down?" he suddenly asked.  
"I am sitting down," McCoy grinned against the rim of his mug.  
“Yeah, but like on a chair,” Jim clarified, “that can’t be comfortable”.  
McCoy chuckled softly. “I’m all good here”.  
Jim lifted his feet up on the armchair – McCoy leant down and planted a kiss among Jim’s hair as he petted his arm – the younger man felt so comfortable he was practically purring.

The mug lay untouched on the table, the steam slowly dying out as Jim’s breath evened – McCoy stroked his hair and Jim smiled in his sleep.


	5. Letters, Cold, Dark, Flowers, Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for my lateness, but I've been very busy. Anyway, here they are; numbers 21-25! The second to last set of stories... Luckily there's still one more to come! As always, thank you for your kind comments and kudos - they mean a lot!
> 
> Enjoy!

**Day 21 – Letters**

The first time it happened was in McCoy's office. On his desk the doctor found a letter - a small note, folded in half, addressed to him with his name and title. _'Dr. McCoy'_ seemed perhaps too official considering that it was from Jim, as McCoy found out when he opened the letter.  
Was it a love letter - maybe, written in Jim's somewhat incomprehensible handwriting, but the gesture was lovely nonetheless. McCoy took the letter and kept it - which Jim must have noticed, because later McCoy got another letter. It was on his birthday, and McCoy kept that one too.  
Then he got one at Christmas, then at Valentine's. Then once a month, then every fortnight, once a week - twice, three times.

After a while the letters became more like daily post-it notes all over the Enterprise - his office, his quarters, sometimes even on the bridge. It was excessive, ridiculous and unnecessary.  
The messages of the notes became shorter, most often something actually rather sweet, but McCoy recalled rolling his eyes at one saying " _Are those space pants? Because your ass is out of this world_ " - and that wasn't the only one of its kind.  
Still, McCoy faithfully kept each one - all just little reminders of how lucky he was to have that hapless romantic in his life.

**-:-**

**Day 22 – Cold**

He sneezed so loudly it could be heard in the bedroom.  
Jim was startled awake and sat up. He then threw the covers to the foot end of the bed and swung his legs over the edge. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the other side of the bed was empty.  
Jim headed out of the bedroom and at the doorway he was greeted by a faint light coming from the kitchenette. A figure was sitting at the table, his back towards Jim.  
"Bones?" Jim asked hoarsely, squinting at the light in his eyes as he approached the figure.  
"What are you doing up?"  
"Well, I tried sleeping, but that almost got me killed since I can't really breathe, so..." McCoy replied, coughing at the end of his sentence - Jim could hear from his voice that the man was miserable.  
"Is there something I do for you?" he asked.  
"Unless you are a magician..." McCoy said before his sudden, loud sneeze interrupted him, "I doubt that".  
Jim chuckled softly.  
"Come on," he said, cautiously placing a hand on the doctor's shoulder.  
"Go lie down, and I'll make you a nice, hot cup of tea, okay?" Jim smiled encouragingly.

McCoy turned to look at him with tired eyes.  
"On a second thought, maybe I'll help you with that, yeah?"  
McCoy nodded feebly.

**-:-**

**Day 23 – Dark**

Only a candle lightened the darkness of the room, its flame fluttering softly.  
"This was actually a surprisingly nice idea, dining in the dark".  
"Mm-hm," Jim hummed, smiling, although McCoy couldn't see it.  
"But didn't I told you it would be?" he winked teasingly.  
"By this time I've learned not to take your word for everything," McCoy retorted.  
"And I must admit I was getting ready to say 'I told you so' at first, but... You've proved me wrong, Jim".  
"I want that written on paper with your signature and get it laminated," Jim grinned.  
“Congratulations,” McCoy replied, “You may have just found the most useless thing anyone could possibly want”  
“So you think,” Jim chuckled against the rim of his glass.

The candle had nearly burnt out by the time they were finished.  
“We should do this again sometime,” McCoy said, seeming somewhat lost in thought.  
“Yeah,” Jim replied, not even trying to hide how pleased he was with himself for coming up with the idea in the first place.  
“It’s actually fun once you get the hang of the ' _not dropping anything'_ ,” McCoy continued.  
Suddenly, a clink of glass hitting the floor shattered the silence.  
“Dammit,” McCoy cursed under his breath, and Jim lifted his glass to his lips, trying very hard not to laugh.

**-:-**

**Day 24 – Flowers**

“Dammit Jim, do you have to be so goddamn thoughtless?" McCoy cursed as he wiped Jim's hands with a disinfectant.  
"How was I supposed to know the flowers would cause this?" Jim asked, sitting on the gurney, holding his hands out for the doctor.  
"You could think before you do," McCoy grunted.  
"You're lucky we found the cure fast," he said as he finished treating Jim.  
"Now, that rash only spreads through physical contact, so keep your hands up and don't touch anything, okay?"  
"Yes, Doctor," Jim replied with a bit of a grin.

"You have to admit though, those were some pretty flowers," he then continued as McCoy turned away.  
"That's not an excuse, Jim," the doctor retorted, turning back to Jim after setting down his med kit.  
"You could have been killed," he continued pointedly, looking into Jim's eyes.  
Jim had nothing to say to that. He wanted to argue, but the look in McCoy's face said not to.

McCoy approached Jim, who moved his hands away as the doctor came over and placed his hands on either side of Jim, leaning forward until their foreheads touched.  
" _Don't you ever do that to me again_ ," the doctor whispered, his eyes closed, hands clenching to fists on the gurney.  
Jim let out a small chuckle. "I'll try not to".

**-:-**

**Day 25 – Truth**

_Truth_   
_Truth is that which is in accord with fact or reality_   
_Truth is that which is fidelity to an original, or to a standard or ideal_   
_Truth_

_What is truth?_   
_No-one really knows_   
_It is a question no-one can answer_   
_It is the constellations at the edge of space_   
_It is the quarters of the galaxy we will never reach_   
_We don’t know if it exists at all_   
_If we just made it up_   
_But we assume it must be_   
_What is truth?_

_The truth is  
I love you_

_And if truth is_   
_Something we all must seek_   
_If truth is_   
_Always in our minds_   
_If truth is_  
In the rhythm of our hearts   
_In the vibrating strings of our souls_   
_In all the stars burning in the vastness of space_

_If truth is in beauty_   
_If truth is in the way my name_   
_Rolls off your tongue_   
_In the way your laugh rings in my ears_   
_And makes my chest light_

_The truth is  
I love you_

_Is truth in forever_   
_In the way you smile_   
_Or in the way_   
_Our hands entwine_   
_When we sleep?_

_If truth is_   
_That which is real_   
_Will you be my truth?_


	6. Champagne, Fearless, Holiday, Forever, Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is - the final chapter. I apologize for not posting it earlier, but I was really busy yesterday.  
> I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all who have read this, and a special thank you to those who have left kudos or comments - I cherish each and every one!  
> This has been a lot of fun; I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have, and hopefully we'll see each other again sometime in the future!
> 
> In the meantime...  
> Enjoy!

**Day 26 – Champagne**

_"I want to raise a toast..."_

Jim leant against McCoy, nuzzling against his shoulder. Tired but happy, he couldn't stop smiling - that was almost ruining his effort to stifle a yawn. McCoy rubbed circles on Jim's knuckles under the table as a smile curved his lips. They had a long day behind them - an amazing day, but the best parts were still ahead.  
"To James Kirk and Leonard McCoy, who finally had the decency to admit what we've all known for a long time - they love each other like crazy".  
The hall erupted into a small laughter.  
"A bit sappy, I know, but... What can I say? It radiates from you two," Sulu said, winking.

"To love - may yours last forever," said Uhura, rising from her seat, raising her glass. Everyone present raised their own glasses and voiced out their agreements - and while glasses clinked together, Jim could feel the tiniest tear forming in the corner of his eye. He looked up, and McCoy was smiling, too.

Suddenly his glass fell from his hand, and like in slow motion it dropped to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. Slowly the sound of the shattering glass changed into the shrieking of the alarm clock. Jim blinked his eyes open, rolling onto his side on the bed to turn the alarm off.

_"Jim, are you coming?”_

**-:-**

**Day 27 – Fearless**

_Jim, sometimes I think your courage inspires me. Ever since I got to know you, I knew you had it in you; but I think everyone saw it on the day you saved the Enterprise from Nero.  
And if it doesn't inspire me, it certainly inspires the crew. There are days when I believe they would follow you anywhere, and back again. Even the new cadets are lining up to get to serve on the Enterprise and under the _ 'famous Captain Kirk' _. If only they knew what they were in for._  
 _Don't get me wrong, you do have a marvellous ability to get them back again - I just wish you'd bring them back all in one piece, instead of filling my Med Bay with cadets whining about their bruises and cuts that could have been avoided had they been more careful._  
 _But how you manage to get your senior officers to join you in the landing parties is beyond me. They, if anyone, should know that missions with you are hardly ever peaceful – you attract danger like flame attracts the moth. Maybe it’s mutual infatuation. And I always have to be the one to patch you up afterwards._

_Courage is a great thing, Jim – it makes you a good leader. But sometimes I wish you weren't so goddamn fearless._

**-:-**

**Day 28 – Holiday**

“Bones!" Jim yelled as he spotted the doctor. "Why are you still here?"  
"I'm sorry, Jim," McCoy replied, not even turning to look at the other man, "I knew we were supposed to go already, but I can't leave yet".  
"Why not?" Jim inquired.  
Now McCoy turned around, giving Jim bit of a glare. "Because I have patients left and right, and more just keep coming!" he replied, turning back around to tend to his patient. Then he let out a frustrated sigh.  
"I'm sorry, I really am. I know we had plans, but I can't leave right now".  
The corners of Jim's lips curved downwards.  
"It's okay, I understand," he said - but then an idea brightened his eyes.

**-**

"What are you doing here, Jim? I thought you left," McCoy asked, as he spotted the other man.  
"Good evening, Doctor," Jim replied playfully, "Can I borrow you for a while?"  
"I don't know, Jim..."  
"C’mon, you have a capable staff here, I’m sure they’ll manage without you for a while,” Jim said.  
“Yeah, but…” McCoy tried to argue, but Jim pointed him towards the CMO’s office.  
"Captain's orders".  
Slowly McCoy complied, walking with Kirk to his office. Inside, a surprise was waiting for him.  
"What is this?" McCoy turned to Jim, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.  
"Well," Jim replied, "If I can't take you on a holiday, I'll bring the holiday to you".

**-:-**

**Day 29 – Forever**

They walked through the park, along the riverside road – the cold wind of the late autumn was playing with their hair as they walked, pressed together, McCoy’s arm around Jim’s waist. They passed by an old couple, sitting on a bench – she smiled the most tender smile as he held her hand. Their love for each other was evident in the looks they shared.  
“Bones?” Jim asked when they were a bit further away.  
“Yeah?” McCoy hummed.  
“Are we gonna be like that when were old?” Jim asked, glancing behind him, “Sitting on a park bench, holding hands?”  
McCoy glanced at the old couple, now leaning on to each other on the bench. “I have a feeling we’ll be up in space ‘til we’re old and grey,” he chuckled, holding Jim tighter.  
“Really? You want to be in space when you’re old?” Jim inquired with a bit of a disbelieving smirk.  
“Do you?” replied McCoy.  
Jim looked up to the dark sky, lit by countless stars.  
“Yeah,” he admitted with a soft smile.  
“Then that’s where I’ll be,” McCoy turned to kiss Jim’s forehead, “Right by your side”.  
“Even when you’re old?” inquired Jim, his head tilted.  
McCoy wrapped both his arms around Jim, looking deep into his blue eyes, a soft smile lingering on his lips.  
“Forever, darlin’”.

**-:-**

**Day 30 - Silence**

  _Silence_  
 _Only broken by the sound of your breath_  
 _Silence_  
 _Of which I used to be afraid_

" _There's something very comforting about listening to your breathing, Bones_ ," Jim thought, but he didn't even dare whisper it, fearing he might be heard. He had turned off the movie - the other was now asleep next to him on the sofa, snoring softly.  
Jim nestled against McCoy, wrapping his arm around the man's waist and pressing his ear on his chest. Jim listened to his heartbeats, and smiled, placing a kiss on McCoy's shirt on the spot above his heart.  
The night had fallen, it was dark outside, but Jim didn't feel alone in the silence.

_Silence_   
_That used to fill me with fear_   
_Silence_   
_That used to see me in tears_

McCoy jerked in his sleep, and Jim pressed himself tighter against him, entwining their fingers. He rubbed circles on McCoy’s knuckles with his thumb – McCoy squeezed Jim tight against him, dragging in a deep breath; then he blinked his eyes open.  
The doctor let his head fall back against the back of the sofa, closing his eyes for another deep breath before opening them again.  
He turned to Jim and placed a kiss among his hair.

"Did I fall asleep?" McCoy murmured, barely lifting his head.  
"It's okay," Jim smiled. "I enjoyed the silence".


End file.
